ASK IRA: Would leap of faith be justified with Jimmy Butler?

Q: If the Heat trade for Jimmy Butler do they get an upfront commitment (contractually) for five years or do they hope he sticks around after this season? -- Jake, Fort Myers.

A: There is no mechanism for such a binding commitment, it has to be the same leap of faith as when the Heat added Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Goran Dragic in trades with their free agency impending. Based on free-agency rules, the reason Butler has pushed for a trade is it guarantees him Bird Rights with the team that acquires him, and, therefore, the largest possible contract. But Wednesday at least has to create a degree of pause, when it comes to any assurances. To a degree, Jimmy would be in positon to demand additional changes upon his arrival, with his acquiring team essentially held hostage until the July 1 start of free agency. Of course the counter to that is what would happen in case of injury, whether the team commitment also would endure?

Q: Come back to me after Jimmy Butler rips apart Heat's locker room like he did in Chicago and Minnesota. Any player who passive-aggressively treated Fred Hoiberg the way Butler did is not worth having on your squad. The Heat are asking for a world of hurt. -- Greg.

A: The difference is organizational stability. The Bulls' front office in recent years has stood for nothing. And Minnesota's current structure, with Tom Thibodeau in charge of coaching as well as personnel, also has its downside. I'm not sure you can be in a world of hurt with Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning tracking your every move in practice, and with players such as Udonis Haslem and James Johnson in your locker room.

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Q: So we're worried about the final years of Jimmy Butler's contract when this is the team that handed out laughable contracts to our favorite fixer-uppers like Tyler Johnson, Dion Waiters, Hassan Whiteside and James Johnson? So let's actually pay the right player for a change. -- Beavis, Miami.

A: A reasonable rebuttal to how the Heat's money otherwise has been spent in recent years.